Carol Berz was first elected to represent the District 6 communities of Brainerd, Brainerd Hills, Concord, Ooltewah, Summit and Tyner in 2008.

Five years ago, she headed up a city project to "rebrand Brainerd" and now is part of a similar effort for East Brainerd, she said. Those efforts have made her very interested in seeing the city regularly update planning efforts.

"You can't keep using the same, tired old 10- and 20-year-old [growth and zoning] plans," she said.

A civil and family mediator, she currently chairs the city's budget and finance committee, and she thinks of herself as an "economist-type person."

"Yes, I voted for a tax increase [in 2010], because we should have had one ages ago," she said. "People have to get real: The only source of revenue people have for government is taxes. The discussion should be are we getting the biggest bang for our buck?"